"Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Third Circuit Explains How Courts Should Balance Clashing Stay Factors"

10/05/2015

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently issued a rare opinion addressing the analysis courts should undertake when considering a request to stay a trial court judgment or order pending appeal. The four-part test for evaluating a stay request is well-established. Courts consider: (1) whether the party seeking a stay has made a strong showing of likely success on appeal; (2) whether the applicant will be irreparably injured if a stay is not granted; (3) whether issuance of the stay will substantially injure other parties in the case; and (4) where the public interest lies. But most appellate rulings on stay requests consist of short, non-precedential orders granting or denying the stay without any analysis. The court therefore used this recent decision to explain how the four-part test should be applied.